Heritage

Let's go and search treasures of our French Riviera heritage.

Citadelle de Saint Tropez

The Citadelle de Saint Tropez is a "pre-Vauban" citadel from the early 17th century, containing the St. Tropez maritime history museum. The citadel's counterscarp glaze was inscribed in 1901, the citadel's dungeon has been classified as an ancient monument since 1921, and the surrounding wall since 1995.

The centre of Saint Tropez's defence for several centuries, the Citadel is the focal point of the Musée national de la Marine, one of the village's great cultural places. The naval museum opened in 1958. Above the fisherman's village with a fabulous view of the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Saint Tropez inlet, the citadel offers one of the city's nicer points of view.

Thoronet Abbey

The Thoronet Abbey is a Cistercian abbey located in Var in the commune of Thoronet.

It has been classified an historical monument. Hidden in the heart of a lush green valley, Thoronet Abbey is a striking sight, pretty close to what was a Cistercian Monastery in the Middle Ages.

In fact, inside its walls, it has kept a few things reminiscent of the daily life of the "white monks": the entrance to the abbey, the remains of a hostel, walled courtyards, and closed gardens. There are a few architectural masterpieces in the centre of this complex: the church with its pure lines and the elegantly bleak and rugged cloister.

The abbey offers free admission.

Chartreuse de la Verne - Collobrières

Ideally located in the middle of the Massif des Maures, close to big tourist centres yet far from the frenzy as a result of some hilly terrain and no road suitable for crowds, the monastery is relatively difficult to get to.

You can find the only way suitable for cars by taking the long but splendid route D14 from Collobrières or Cogolin. After a pebble path and many curves that offer magnificent views of the monastery, visitors finally discover the ancient Carthusian monastery in its lush green setting.